Joe Jackson - Night and Day II (2000)

Night and Day II is a 2000 album by Joe Jackson. It was a revisit of the style of a prior album, Night and Day. The songs are about a New York City lifestyle, seen through different characters. The album featured a new set of songs in the spirit of his most popular previous recording.
While the original Night and Day (1982) took a satirical look at the downfalls of city life through songs such as "TV Age", "Cancer" and "Real Men", Night and Day II is a commentary on the dark side of inner city living as seen though the eyes of a cynical New Yorker (Jackson lived in New York at the time). "Hell of a Town" and "Stranger Than You" sarcastically portray New York City life, as do lyrics from songs like "Just Because":

My hovel needs a barricade
My pants need an alarm
Need some non-alcoholic whiskey
and some Giuliani charm

making a commentary on Rudy Giuliani's mayoralty.
This reflection of the original Night and Day album can be seen in many forms: from the cover (the artwork from 1982's Night and Day features a white background while the photograph from 2000s Night and Day II is a dark nighttime shot taken from within a New York City cab, and shows the World Trade Center just a year before 9/11), to the perceived presentation order of each song's motif Night and Day feels as if the listener is being taken on a journey, via the song motifs, from daytime to night while Night and Day II presents a sensation of moving from nighttime to day ("Glamour and Pain" to "Love Got Lost" demonstrates this fully as "Glamour and Pain" deals with a prostitute's lamentations while "Love Got Lost" is mostly placed during Marianne Faithfull's fictitious working day).
"Happyland" is about the 1990 arson fire at Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx that killed 87 people.
The final song of the album, "Stay," is possibly ironic, given that Jackson left New York to return to England in 2003.
The music is built with contributions from Graham Maby (bass), and Sue Hadjopoulos (percussion). Also featured are the string quartet Ethel, and three guest vocalists: Iranian diva Sussan Deyhim, drag performer Dale De Vere and Marianne Faithfull, who sings vocals on "Love Got Lost".

Track listing

01.  "Prelude" - 1:57
02.  "Hell of a Town" - 3:18
03.  "Stranger Than You" - 4:16
04.  "Why"  - 3:54
        (vocals by Sussan Deyhim)
05.  "Glamour and Pain"  - 5:59
        (vocals by Dale De Vere)
06.  "Dear Mom" - 4:12
07.  "Love Got Lost"  - 6:59
        (vocals by Marianne Faithfull, Joe Jackson and Alexandra Montano)
08.  "Just Because..." - 4:45
09.  "Happyland" - 5:12
10 . "Stay" - 5:46

All songs written, arranged, produced and sung by Joe Jackson, unless otherwise noted.

Credits
Piano, Keyboards, Synthesizer [Basses], Sequenced By, Drum Programming, Written-by, Arranged By, Producer – Joe Jackson
Bass – Graham Maby
Cello, Soloist [Solos] – Dorothy Lawson
Drums – Gary Burke
Percussion – Sue Hadjopoulos
Viola – Ralph Farris
Violin – Mary Rowell, Todd Reynolds
Art Direction – Joe Jackson
Engineer, Producer [Associate] – Dan Gellert
Featuring [String Quartet] – Ethel
Management – Jim Merlis, Mike Maska
Management [Production Manager] – Brian Coleman
Mastered By – Ted Jensen
Photography By [All Other Photography] – Alex Vandoros
Photography By [Front Cover And Cd Label] – Nitin Vadukul
Recorded By [Additional Assistant] – Ross Peterson
Recorded By [Assistant] – Charlie Post
Technician [Keyboards, Midi] – Paul Geluso

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Copyright (c) – Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Distributed By – Sony Music
Recorded At – Avatar Studios
Recorded At – Windmill Lane Studios
Mastered At – Sterling Sound, Chelsea

Notes
Release date: 24 October 2000
Recorded at Avatar, New York City
Marianne Faithfull's vocal recorded at Windmill Lane, Dublin
Genre:  Fusion, Jazz-Rock
Length: 46:18
© 2000

Label - Sony Classical